It is now the first week in between the regular and special sessions: The legislature adjourned on April 28th, the 105th day of the regular session. Shortly after adjourning, the Governor held a press conference and announced that he would be calling the legislature back on May 13th for a special session. Between the end of the regular session and beginning of the special session, the expectation is that that budget writers will be working hard to resolve the differences between the House and Senate so that they will be able to pass a budget when they reconvene.
The special session can last up to 30 days. If agreement has not been reached by then, the Governor can call them back for another special session. The fiscal year ends June 30th…..
In addition to the budget, the Governor stated that he would like the legislature to take up several issues they had not been able to resolve during the regular session. These include: Universal background checks for gun purchases, the Reproductive Parity Act, and the DREAM Act. House and Senate members likely have additional issues they would like to address. And don’t forget all of the NTIB (“Necessary to implement the budget”) bills that have to be considered/passed. Thirty days could certainly fly by pretty quickly!
The Governor is now in bill-signing mode. He has taken action on a number of bills already but has many left. The Governor has 20 days from April 28th to take action. If, for some reason, the Governor does not take action (sign or veto) a bill, it goes into effect anyway! And unless otherwise identified, bills signed into law will go into effect on July 28th.
Thank you for your interest and participation in the 2013 Legislative session!!
Have a great weekend!
Laurie Lippold
Public Policy Director
